Lives of the
Prophets - Prophet Dawud* (continued)
Fasting of Dawud*
The Prophet* said,
"The most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of Prophet Dawud*, and
the most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of Prophet Dawud*. He used to
sleep the (first half) of the night and pray for one third of it and then sleep
one-sixth of it, and he used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on
facing the enemy."
In addition to his
melodious voice, Prophet Dawud*, was fast in reciting his Book, the Zabur (Psalms).
Imam Ahmad reports that The Prophet* said: "The reciting (of the Psalms)
was made easy for Prophet Dawud*. He used to order that his riding animal be
saddled, and would finish reciting the Qur’an before it was saddled. And he
would never eat except from the earnings of his manual work. " The word
'Qur'an' in this Hadith refers to the Psalms which Allah revealed to him. Allah
the Almighty says: "And We gave to Dawud* (the gift of) the Psalms."
(AI Israa': 55)
As for Allah's
saying, "We strengthened his kingdom", it means that Allah granted
him great power and authority and respected, sound judgement.
Allah says: "O
Dawud! We did indeed make thee a vicegerent (Khalifah) on earth: so judge thou
between men in truth (and justice): nor follow thou the lust (of thy heart),
for it will mislead thee from the Path of Allah: for those who wander astray
from the Path of Allah, is a Penalty Grievous, for that they forget the Day of
Account." (Saad: 26)
Ibn Kathir
maintains: This speech of Allah has been directed to Dawud*, yet it is also
directed to all rulers and commanders. They are all commanded to abide by
justice and follow the truth revealed by Allah, not their whims and desires.
Then Allah warns them that if they deviated from Allah's path, they would suffer
a grievous chastisement on the Day of Judgement.
Dawud* set the best
example of justice and sincere and intense worship to Allah. He offered several
extra devotional acts and made his family follow his example. Thus Allah
praises them saying, "Work ye, Sons of Dawud*, in thanks! But few of My
servants are grateful." (Saba': 13)
The Age of Dawud*:
There is a Hadith
reported about the creation of Adam mentions that when Allah drew from Adam's
back his descendants and showed him the Prophets among them, Adam saw amongst
them a light shining brightly (man with a shining face), so he asked, 'O my
Lord! Who is this man'?' Allah said, 'This is your son, Dawud.' He asked, 'O my
Lord! How old will be he?' Allah said, '60 years.' He said, 'O my Lord!
Increase his age.' Allah said, 'I will not increase it except out of your own
age.' (Adam had known from Allah that his own age would be one thousand years)
so he granted Dawud* 40 years of his age. When Adam's life came to an end, the
angel of death came to take his soul. Then (Adam) said, 'There still remain 40
years of my age.' He forgot that he had gifted Dawud* with them.
Death of Prophet Dawud*
The Prophet* said:
"(Prophet) Dawud* was a very private man. When he left his house, he used
to lock it up so that none may enter it until he returned. One day he went out
and locked up the house. Then while his wife was walking in the house, she
found a man standing in the middle of the house. She asked those who were in
the house (i.e. its inhabitants), 'How did this man enter the house though it
is locked up? By Allah, Dawud* will reproach us today.' When Dawud* came back,
he found the man standing in the middle of the house. He asked him, 'Who are
you?' He (the man) replied, 'I am the one who does not fear nor be prevented by
gatekeepers. Dawud* said, 'By Allah, you are the angel of death. Welcome to
Allah's command. Dawud* remained until the angel took his soul. After he was
washed and wrapped in the shroud, the sun rose over him. Solomon said to the
birds, 'Give Dawud* shade.' They did so till it became dark. Then Solomon said
to the birds, 'Hold one wing in. ' Abu Hurairah said that Prophet Muhammad,
peace and blessings be upon him, began to show us how the birds held a wing in
and held his arm in and the falcons gave him more shade than other birds that
day. "
Lessons from Life
of Dawud*
Sins Make You Become Weak
Bani Israel became
weak because of their sins. The Philistines took away from them the ark of the
covenant. The Philistines were able to defeat them.
Even Though Bani Israel didn’t like to fight
They Admitted That Jihad Was The Solution To Their Problems
They asked a king to be appointed to lead them in jihad. The Prophet* said: “Whenever a people abandon Jihad, Allah envelopes them with His punishment” [Tabarani]
Bani Israel Objected To Talut (Saul) As
Their King Because Of His Poverty
When you are poor,
people use it to look down on you.
Historically, Bani Israel Have A Problem
With Allah's Decisions
They had a problem
with Talut being appointed as the king. They rebelled and said they have more
wealth than him so he can't be their king.
Humans Cannot Tell Allah Who To Bless
The people of Mecca
used to ask why Allah sent the Quran down on Muhammad*. You can't tell Allah
who to bless. But Allah chooses for His Mercy whom He wills. And Allah is the
Owner of Great Bounty. (Al-Baqarah 2:105)
Hypocrites Sometimes Join The Caravan/Crowd
for ulterior motives
Talut realised
there were hypocrites in the army. This took place in the time of the Prophet*
as well. They want the booty or right hand possess. Only a few passed the test
of not drinking water.
Always Have Tawakkul When You Go To The
Frontline
But those who knew
with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: "How often a small
group overcame a mighty host by Allah's Leave?" And Allah is with
As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). (TMQ 2:249)
Always Make A Dua Before You Fight The Enemy
The Prophet* did it
at Badr. King Talut did it before he fought the Philistines. And when they
advanced to meet Jalut (Goliath) and his forces, they invoked: "Our Lord!
Pour forth on us patience, set our feet firm and make us victorious over the
disbelieving people." (TMQ 2:250) Always make a dua before you take on the
enemy.
Youth Are Effective On The Battlefield
A lot of the
sahabas were teenagers when they went to the battlefield. Dawud* killed Goliath
when he was a teenager. When Tariq bin Ziyad conquered Spain, he was only 18.
When Muhammad al Fateh conquered Turkey in 1453, he was only 19.
Dawud* Didn't Allow Fame To Get To His Head
He didn't allow the
fame to get to his head because of his taqwa. When fame gets to your head, you
are no longer sincere.
Allah Elevated Dawud* Because He Remained
Humble
Dawud* didn't let
the fame get to him.
Always Listen To Both Sides Of The Story
Dawud* had to make
tawba because he only listened to one side of the story when he was tested by
two angels.
It Is Possible For People To Promise You
Something And Then Change Their Mind
Adam* did it to
Dawud*. Adam* promised to give Dawud* 40 of his years. Narrated Abu Hurairah:
that the Prophet* said: He (Adam) said: 'O Lord! Add forty years from my life
to his.' So at the end of Adam's life, the Angel of death of came to him, and
he said: 'Do I not have forty years remaining?' He said: 'Did you not give them
to your son Dawud?'" He said: "Adam denied, so his offspring denied,
and Adam forgot and his offspring forgot, and Adam sinned, so his offspring
sinned." [at-Tirmidhi] When the angel of death came to him, Adam* changed
his mind.
Prophet Dawud* Was Skilful With Time
Management.
As a believer, you
need to respect time He divided his day into four parts:
·
1/4 to
earn a living
·
1/4 to
take rest and ibada
·
1/4 to
listen to the problems of the people and to adjudicate in matters
·
1/4 to
give classes to the people.
You learn from
Prophet Dawud* that he did not waste his time. He used to have a night routine
too:
·
sleep
the (first half) of the night and
·
pray
for one third of it and
·
then
sleep one-sixth of it,
Also, he used to
fast on alternate days and would not flee on facing the enemy.
Prophet Dawud* Was Very Patient With His
Flock
The litigants
jumped over the wall. A litigant is a person who takes his case to the
courthouse and demand; his rights because he assumed his oppressed. The
litigants jumped over the wall to see Prophet Dawud*. Prophet Dawud* quickly
passed the verdict before hearing the complete story and realized they were
angels. He begged Allah to forgive him.
Judging Between People Is A Spiritual Status
For someone to pass
judgement, you have to be pious. Disputes are a never-ending thing until the
day of judgement. “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as
witnesses to Allah, even though it be against yourselves, or your parents, or
your kin, be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you).
So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if
you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever
Well Acquainted with what you do.” (An-Nisa 4:135)
This verse is hung
up at Harvard University. Harvard University is impressed by this verse No
other verse can surpass this verse in regards to justice.
Even Though The Litigants Had Bad Manners,
He Still Had To Give Them The Correct Verdict
Prophet Dawud* was
still obligated to give the right verdict even though they had bad manners.
Even Prophets Are Tested
The two men who
jumped over wall to complain to Prophet Dawud*, was a test because he listened
to only one side of the story. They came in the form of men but they were
angels and itt was halal for them to jump over the wall because they were
angels': angels have no human desires. They came to test Prophet Dawud*
To Have A Sweet Voice Is A Great Blessing
From Allah
When Prophet Dawud*
use to recite the psalms all the animals would gather around Allah does not
like the harsh voice; harsh voice is referred to as the voice of the donkey.
Abu Huraira is reported to have heard The Prophet* as saying: Allah does not
listen to anything, (more approvingly) as He listens to a Prophet reciting
loudly the Qur'an in a sweet voice. [Bukhari]
"And be
moderate (or show no insolence) in your walking, and lower your voice. Verily,
the harshest of all voices is the voice (braying) of the ass." (Luqman
31:19)
Main Topic: Final Signs of the Day of
Judgement
·
The
Smoke
·
Rise of
the Sun from the West
·
The
Beast
·
The
Fire
The Smoke
There is an entire surah in the Qur’an – Surah ad-Dukhaan. Allah says: “Wait until smoke comes down from the
heavens.” This smoke is punishment for the non believers. We don’t know more
about the smoke. It will come down on the earth as a punishment for the non-believers.
Rise of
the Sun from the West
Allah says, “When some of the signs of Allah
approach, then a soul that did not believe, their belief will not do them any
good.” The tafsir of this ayah is the rise of the sun from the west.
“Do they then wait for anything other than that the
angels should come to them, or that your Lord should come, or that some of the
Signs of your Lord should come (i.e. portents of the Hour e.g., arising of the
sun from the west)! The day that some of the Signs of your Lord do come, no
good will it do to a person to believe then, if he believed not before, nor
earned good (by performing deeds of righteousness) through his Faith. Say: “Wait
you! we (too) are waiting.”
The Prophet* says, the day of judgment will not
occur until the sun rises up from the west. When that happens, everyone would
believe. That is when belief would not give them any good. [Bukhari]
There is a finality about this sign – such that people see this extra-ordinary
sign there is no other explanation for it and it marks the ‘End of the World’
or the ‘End of Time’ as any deeds done after that will not count as the ‘book
of deeds’ is already closed. People will know that death is imminent and final
and there is no time for repentance. Al-Qurtubi explains this and says that
when the sun rises from the west, people would know it is the end. Therefore,
it is just like death. When people are dying and they see the angel of
death and they cannot make tawbah (repentance) because it is too late.
If someone
becomes a Muslim in that moment, their iman will not do any good. That
means, if someone who claims to be a believer but was not doing good,
their good will not do them any good after the sun rises from the west.
Therefore, after the sun rises from the west, your record of deeds will remain
the same. If you were doing righteous deeds, the reward of those deeds would
continue even if the sun rises from the west.
The Beast
Allah says: “And when the decree of Allah (or the
Word of Allah) befalls them, we would send out to them a beast from the earth.
It would talk to them. The people do not believe in Our signs.” The scholars
say that the Beast will either talk to them or mark them. This beast would come
out and talk to people: “You are a believer” “You are a non-believer” and it
would stamp them on the faces.
Abu Hurayrah says that The Prophet* says, “Three
things, when they occur, no soul would benefit from imaan/belief after that. 1)
Rise of the sun from the west. 2) ad-dajjaal. 3) the beast.” During the time of
ad-dajjaal, because there will be so much fitna. In the time of the beast, you
will be stamped as a believer or a non-believer.
The Prophet* said, “The beast would come out
carrying the seal of Suleiman [Solomon] and the stick of Musa [Moses]. It would
mark the face of the believer with Musa and would stamp the face of the
nonbeliever with the seal of Suleiman. People would be eating together and they
would say, ‘Give me this, believer’ or ‘Hand me this non-believer.’”
[at-Tarmidhi]
Everybody has it written on their face. People
would call each other, “ya kaafir” or ”ya mu’min.”
The Fire
The final sign of the Day of Judgment is the fire. The
Prophet* says, “And in the end, a fire would come out from Yemen, sending the
people towards al-mahshar.” This is a fire that will push all of the people
towards the holy land. This fire will continuously follow them until they go to
Palestine/Syria. People will be running from it. Whoever is left behind, it
will burn them. It follows them day and night.
The Prophet* pinpointed the area and said it will
come from the basin of Adan.
The Prophet* pointed towards ash-Shaam and said,
“This is where you would be assembled.” In another hadith in Abu Dawud, The
Prophet* said, “There will be hijra after hijra. The best of people of the
world will be in the place of the hijra of Ibrahim.”
Ash-Shaam is the area of Jerusalem, Syria,
Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon. The most holy of it is Jerusalem. There are many
ahadith where The Prophet* praised that place. In one hadith in Musnad Imam
Ahmad, Abu Dardaa reports that The Prophet* says, “I was sleeping and I saw a
dream where the pillar of the Book [Qur’an] was taken away from me. And I
thought it would be taken away from me. So I followed it and saw it placed in
Ash-Shaam. In the time of trials and tribulations (fitan), that is where Imaan
will be.”
In another hadith in Tabarani, The Prophet* says,
“When I was in the trip of al Isra`, I saw a white pillar like a banner of
war taken away from me and I asked the angels, ‘Where are you taking it?’
They said, ‘We are going to take it and place it in Ash-Shaam.’”
This is the end of the signs of the Day of Judgment.
It is important to reiterate that altough these are going to happen in the
future, probably not in our lifetime, we still have an obligation to know and
to prepare for our End because our Day of Judgment begins when we die.
We talked about the hadith of the Prophet* where
the man asked him about the Hour: a Bedouin came into the masjid and asked the
Prophet*, “When is the Hour?” He came in and interrupted the Prophet* when he
was giving a speech. RasulAllah* kept on going and didn’t give him any
attention. The man insisted and asked a second and a third time. By now, the
sahabah are upset and want him to calm down. They thought that RasulAllah* is
not responding because he doesn’t like the question. When RasulAllah* was done
with his speech, he said, “Where is the one who was asking about the Hour?” He
then asked the Bedouin, “What have you prepared for it?” The man then said, “I
did not prepare for it a lot of fasting and prayer, but I have prepared for it
with love for Allah and His Messenger.” The Prophet* said, “You will be with
the ones that you love.”
InshaAllah, we make du’a that we also have love for
Allah and the Prophet* and are also with the ones we love on the Day of
Judgment. Ameen
